I can’t use freelance platforms anymore
I’ve signed up for multiple online freelancing websites and can’t deal with them anymore.
It was roughly a month ago, I detailed my bad first experience using Upwork. Today I can’t say my experience with online platforms has changed all that much.
I’ve signed up for PeoplePerHour, Fiverr, and more… I’ve signed up to platforms that say I can make a full-time wage… I’ve signed up to platforms where I have had to pay to join.
And what have they got me?
Nothing.
Online platforms don’t work
Maybe it’s just me, but I seem to find online bidding platforms confusing and frustrating. Instead of an easy journey from bid to contract to payment, it seems like every platform has a different way to make the process more convoluted.
I can send bid after bid and receive little to no replies. I am competing against hundreds of other freelancers who are probably just as qualified and as experienced as I am but I always lose out.
Not only are the jobs that aren’t invite-only incredibly underpaid for the work they want completed, I read an advert on People Per Hour this morning that said they wanted the person to complete the work immediately and it is heavily implied in the advert that instead of a proposal they wanted the freelancer to submit the finished work. I’ve been in a similar situation before so now my instincts kick in to avoid adverts like that.
“By accepting this order, you agree that I may name myself and/or others as the author of the text you write, including any modifications to, or derivative works from such text.”
You can NOT expect freelancers to work for free
I’m sure the founders of these platforms intended to create an online space for safer transactions between freelancers and clients. It’s not that way now but I’m sure that at some point these sites were better.
Peerism details the ways that these sites are bad for freelancers and employers. The system is slow and freelancers are expected to participate in unpaid meetings. Freelancers are competing against hundreds of other bids which means that employers have to go through hundreds of bids as well .
Freelance bidding websites do attract a lot of freelance job adverts.
Competition and value for money are the main values these sites have.
In order to get the job, you’ve got to lower your price. To land your first job, you must be willing to do jobs that outside of that platform are below your experience and skillset to gain a reputation on that site. To lower your price and put your real world experience aside, you have to perform services that are basic.
Mitchell Bryson goes further and explains that these sites create problems on both sides of the transaction. The control of the online market is “in the hands of the bidding site and their own interests.”
Clients don’t get the result they were looking for and freelancers waste their time doing work that isn’t worthwhile.
All platforms have advantages and disadvantages
I don’t think the advantages of these platforms outweigh the disadvantages.
As a freelancer, you are being asked to complete short tasks (hopefully — I have seen some adverts for 30,000 word book guides to be completed for under $100) for little money and often the client doesn’t see the value in the work that you have done.
If the client refuses to pay you, you’re not always in the best position to dispute it especially if you don’t have a reputation on the site.
You place your bid, you lower your price, you use up your points to apply, you talk with clients who can be uncommunicative and dishonest, then you get the contract and then it’s over.
The work does not equal the payout.
Freelancers are tired
Freelancers are being scammed on these platforms which isn’t surprising.
In every line of work, there are always customers who want stuff for free or worse want to take advantage. Whether it’s fake job postings, or pyramid schemes, there’s always some way for freelancers to be scammed out of their hard-earned money.
On sites like Upwork, freelancers are expected to start off by working poor quality jobs for little to no pay.
Freelancers are expected to work for nothing when they’re “starting out” which ignores the skills and other experience they have to offer.
Freelancers who are successful on these platforms are driven, savvy and good at negotiation. These platforms want you to be the skilled freelancer, salesperson and mediator all in one conveniently cheap package. Freelancers who stay on these platforms for too long are scared of stagnation and are encouraged to move their work off of these platforms onto their own websites.
Why bother?
I quit UpWork a month ago.
I’m still on a couple of other websites but so far, I have not actively sought out work and work hasn’t come to me. My writing work sustains me right now and the amount of adverts I see on the platforms that I’m still on do not fill me with enthusiasm to apply again in future.
Clients repeatedly post vague and unspecific adverts then expect you to write a detailed proposal.
maria milojković has written about her experience of being suspended by Upwork after two jobs. Upwork taught her a lot about freelancing but she found herself becoming more resourceful outside of the platform and in her local area. This is something that I’ve found as well.
As a freelance writer, these sites prioritise generic writing jobs which offer no creative freedom. When I look at the adverts, I feel nothing and as a writer that is demoralising. My writing is fulfilling and not being able to write or edit whatever I want (which I know is a privilege) is a big turnoff for me.
Since deciding to pursue freelance writing, I have found that while a large percentage of successful work is from persistence and patience, a lot of it is passion and luck. I enjoy coming up with my own ideas, pitching them and hearing back from editors.
I do not enjoy forcing myself to write about things which at the end of the day will not be under my name and will be manipulated. I do not enjoy working with people who give me a bad feeling or make me feel like I’m doing something wrong by adhering to the rules that I was taught through previous 9 to 5 jobs.
For now, I don’t see a future of working on these platforms and maybe you shouldn’t too.
